Differentiate between Electronic Medical Record and Electronic Health Records. Discuss the importance of interoperability in relationship to both types of records and to how the Electronic Medical Record and Electronic Health Records improve quality and access to care.

 

 

Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are the digital version of the paper charts in the office of the clinicians, and they contain the treatments and medical history of the patients in a single practice. The information in EMRs does not move out of the practice, hence become no better than a paper record, for it must be printed and delivered via mail if necessary (Manca, 2015). On the other hand, Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are developed to share information with other healthcare providers, such as laboratory technologists; hence they contain information from all clinicians who took part in the patient's care. Overall, with EHRs, the patient information moves with the patient to the hospital, nursing home, specialist across the country, and state. Furthermore, EHRs provide a broader range of patient information compared to EMRs. EHRs include test results, demographics, medications, medical history, and history of patient illness. Furthermore, patients have limited access to EMRs and can easily access EHRs.

Both EHRs and EMRs are a digital record of patient health information hence present with advantages not accrued with paper documentation such as;

Tracking data over time

Checking and identifying patients who are due for medical check-ups and preventive screening.

Monitor the progress of patients on specific parameters such as vaccinations and blood pressure readings.

With EHRs, members of a healthcare team have quick access to the latest patient health information enabling more coordinated patient-centered care (Murphy, 2019).  EHRs provide clinicians with access to enriched data, which facilitates better care planning and informed decision making. Both EHRs and EMRs make healthcare less costly and more efficient through reducing medication errors, improving the management of patient records, improving communication among providers, and patients and reducing unnecessary investigations.

Interoperability is the capability of diverse information systems, applications, and devices to exchange, access, integrate and cooperatively use data across and within national, regional, and organizational boundaries in a coordinated manner to offer seamless and timely portability of information and optimize the health of populations and individuals globally. Both EMRs and EHRs are information systems that foster interoperability in healthcare, for they have improved easy access to patient medical information (Hedges, 2019). But, EHRs provide a more excellent value for interoperability in healthcare for they provide diverse patient information, which is portable, and easily accessed and used by clinicians in different disciplines to make better coordinated and informed patient-centered care. Both EHRs and EMRs provide platforms for better communication, which translates to better patient outcomes and limited risk for malpractice lawsuits.

Step-by-step explanation

Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are the digital version of the paper charts in the office of the clinicians, and they contain the treatments and medical history of the patients in a single practice. The information in EMRs does not move out of the practice, hence become no better than a paper record, for it must be printed and delivered via mail if necessary (Manca, 2015). On the other hand, Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are developed to share information with other healthcare providers, such as laboratory technologists; hence they contain information from all clinicians who took part in the patient's care. Overall, with EHRs, the patient information moves with the patient to the hospital, nursing home, specialist across the country, and state. Furthermore, EHRs provide a broader range of patient information compared to EMRs. EHRs include test results, demographics, medications, medical history, and history of patient illness. Furthermore, patients have limited access to EMRs and can easily access EHRs.

Both EHRs and EMRs are a digital record of patient health information hence present with advantages not accrued with paper documentation such as;

Tracking data over time

Checking and identifying patients who are due for medical check-ups and preventive screening.

Monitor the progress of patients on specific parameters such as vaccinations and blood pressure readings.

With EHRs, members of a healthcare team have quick access to the latest patient health information enabling more coordinated patient-centered care (Murphy, 2019).  EHRs provide clinicians with access to enriched data, which facilitates better care planning and informed decision making. Both EHRs and EMRs make healthcare less costly and more efficient through reducing medication errors, improving the management of patient records, improving communication among providers, and patients and reducing unnecessary investigations.

Interoperability is the capability of diverse information systems, applications, and devices to exchange, access, integrate and cooperatively use data across and within national, regional, and organizational boundaries in a coordinated manner to offer seamless and timely portability of information and optimize the health of populations and individuals globally. Both EMRs and EHRs are information systems that foster interoperability in healthcare, for they have improved easy access to patient medical information (Hedges, 2019). But, EHRs provide a more excellent value for interoperability in healthcare for they provide diverse patient information, which is portable, and easily accessed and used by clinicians in different disciplines to make better coordinated and informed patient-centered care. Both EHRs and EMRs provide platforms for better communication, which translates to better patient outcomes and limited risk for malpractice lawsuits.